Vermont Health Department Reverses Findings on Asbestos-Caused Deaths

MONTPELIER, VT - On April 1, 2009, the Vermont Health Department (VHD) released a report that directly contradicts the findings of a November, 2008 report issued by the same state agency. Both reports are related to the potential danger from exposures to asbestos amongst those citizens who live within a 10 mile radius of a long-inactive asbestos mine located in the towns of Eden and Lowell. Asbestos is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as a known carcinogen, and the original VHD report claimed that those citizens who lived near the asbestos mine had a higher risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases than did members of the general population.

The November report caused quite a stir amongst those residents who lived within the 10 mile radius of the Vermont Asbestos Group (VAG) mine, many of whom criticized the report for its, allegedly, inaccurate findings that had a devastating impact on property values in the area. It seems those critics had good cause for their protests because the VHD's April report now states that those citizens who live, work or play near the inactive mine are at no greater risk for contracting an asbestos-caused illness than any other resident of Vermont.

The VHD's original report cited the asbestos disease-related death of five individuals who lived near the VAG mine, but Health Department investigators failed to discover the fact that three of the five who died had worked in the asbestos mine for years; the two remaining fatalities were related to individuals who had already contracted an asbestos-caused illness prior to moving to the area.

Asbestos exists in the soil or in above ground rock formations, and the naturally occurring silicate mineral can be found in relative abundance in nations around the world. Asbestos is a general term that covers a class of silicate minerals that exist in a variety of chemical compositions, colors, and types, though, exposures to airborne asbestos fibers in any form are considered to pose a significant threat to human health.

Asbestos has a superior resistance to extreme temperatures, a high tensile strength, and it resists damage from harsh chemical corrosives-asbestos also offers exceptional thermal and electrical current insulating qualities. For all these reasons, as well as many more, asbestos was once a popular manufacturing material that found its way into everything from automotive brake pads to talcum powder. The widespread use of asbestos came to an end in the early 1970s, however, when medical researchers confirmed the fact that the inhalation of microscopic, airborne asbestos fibers could cause the onset of respiratory diseases such as the aggressive and inevitably fatal cancer known as malignant mesothelioma.

In light of the extreme toxicity of asbestos, homeowners who live near the VAG mine were quite alarmed by the VHD's original report that claimed they were endangered by their relative proximity to the long-dormant mine. Many others in the state were alarmed as well, and property assessments in towns near the asbestos mine plummeted when word of the report caused real estate prices in the area to decline sharply.

Mary Walz, 48, of nearby Hyde Park is a member of an organization known as Franklin, Lamoille, and Orleans (FLO) that stands for the three counties affected by the original findings of the VHD asbestos report. Walz welcomed the Health Department's retraction in the new report and said, "I think the main thing it tells me is it's good news for the community. There's no evidence there is any kind of health problem related to the mine."

Many area residents remain angry at Health Department officials, who some claim acted recklessly by publishing findings that had not been supported by the facts. VHD critics say that unfounded fears about the VAG mine will undoubtedly have a negative effect on property values in the area for many years to come.

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